Forget The Dodge Ramcharger, This 1978 Plymouth Trail Duster Is The Old SUV We Want

It sat for 16 years and is in relatively good shape, but will it run?

1978 Plymouth Trail Duster

Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Dec 25, 2023 at 9:00am ET

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Just about everyone remembers the Dodge Ramcharger. The big two-door SUV arrived for the 1974 model year and would remain in production for US buyers through the early 1990s. What you may not know is that Plymouth also had a version of the off-roader: The Trail Duster. That's the focus of this new video from Dead Dodge Garage on YouTube.

When we say version, we mean the Trail Duster was basically a Ramcharger with a different badge. The bodies were the same, so much so that even a keen eye would be hard-pressed to spot the differences. Badges identify this particular 1978 model as a Trail Duster Sport, which includes faux wood trim because hey, it was the '70s. Of greater interest is the 400 cubic-inch (6.5-liter) V8 under the hood, crowned with an aftermarket Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor.

1978 Plymouth Trail Duster

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The Trail Duster was recently found in Washington, where it had been sitting for 16 years. The video documents the trials and tribulations of bringing the forgotten Dodge back to life, which is never an easy task for something with decade-old gasoline in the tank. However, with some fuel-line patches and a rebuilt distributor, the old Plymouth's engine does indeed fire up. It's unclear if a full restoration is in the SUV's future, but the current owner is at least having some fun with it for now.

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Whereas the Ramcharger stayed in production through the early 1990s, Plymouth dropped the Trail Duster at the end of the first-generation run in 1981. It's believed approximately 36,000 were made, which doesn't exactly make it rare. But spread out over a six-year production run, it's not nearly as common as its Dodge stablemate.

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